LEONI TWP., MI – Blood hounds provided by a Michigan volunteer organization traced a missing 79-year-old woman from her home on Broad Street to the back of Los Tres Amigos on Fifth Street in Michigan Center.

The Grand River runs south and west of the restaurant and those in pursuit feared she had gone into the water. “That is where we were focusing our search, because that is where the dogs led us,” said Mike Jester, director of the Blackman-Leoni Township public safety department.

Though investigators believe Viola Irene Rice, 79, was near the business at one time, she had really traveled further south, to Center Lake. A resident on S. Lakeside Drive spotted her Saturday morning on the ice behind his home. He went to check on the woman and learned she was dead.

Authorities believe Rice, who had Alzheimer’s disease, walked about 1.6 miles. Jester said he himself had checked the S. Lakeside Drive area, but it would have been impossible to see Rice from the road.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation,” Jester said.

K-9 One, a flint-based volunteer search and rescue team, and a Michigan State Police helicopter were involved in the search. The blood hounds retired about 1 a.m. Friday, but another search and rescue team, working on foot, continued looking through the night. Public safety officers were searching by vehicle, as were other community or family members.

“We utilized four-wheelers, helicopters and dogs. We were trying everything we could think of. A lot of people were searching on their own,” Jester said.

Cars were traveling usually quiet township roads.

Jester thanked the state police, the search and rescue groups and citizens for their help and attention.

“We wish it would have turned out differently, but it didn’t.”

Rice was last seen at 2 a.m. Friday at Johnny’s Shell station on Fifth Street, but police did not know this until a third-shift employee arrived at work late Friday and saw the woman’s picture.

Jester had earlier said Rice was last seen about 11 p.m. Thursday. She was reported missing about 1 p.m. Friday.

She appeared Wednesday before Judge Timothy Lawliss, who transferred her to the supervision of Essex County Probation.

Bresett also paid an unknown amount of restitution to Champlain Valley Search and Rescue before the sentencing.

GROUP CO-FOUNDER

State Police arrested her Feb. 6 on a charge of third-degree grand larceny following a report Aug. 30, 2016, of a suspected theft from the Keeseville-based nonprofit.

Bresett was a cofounder of the organization and had served as its business manager.

A State Police investigation revealed that Bresett made several thousand dollars’ worth of personal purchases using bank accounts opened under the organization’s name.

Neither Bresett nor Champlain Valley Search and Rescue could be reached this week for comment.

LOCAL SEARCHES

Champlain Valley Search and Rescue’s Facebook page identifies the organization as “a nonprofit search and rescue team specialized with the working-dog and support personnel to search for and rescue lost or missing persons.”

The organization has helped conduct a number of local searches, including efforts to track down lost hikers and snowmobilers, and has sponsored several fundraisers.

As federal investigators travel to Parkland, Florida, to assess the most recent school shooting, another group is also on the way—therapy dogs. According to a recent USA Today article, a charitable group called Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dogs has deployed up to 10 therapy or comfort dogs (all golden retrievers) to Florida.

It’s not the first time this group of goldens has helped people recover from shooting tragedies. The dogs showed up on the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. And nearly 20 dogs traveled to Las Vegas after last fall’s mass shooting.

The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs serve every day in the community in which they are placed and are dispatched in times of disaster and crisis to bring comfort to all those affected, including first responders and the volunteers who serve them. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs were in New York and New Jersey visiting victims of Superstorm Sandy, and in Connecticut after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lutheran Church Charities currently has over 130 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs serving in more than 20 states.

This is Jacob, he’s a “comfort dog” whose been to Las Vegas, Orlando and now Parkland to comfort victims of mass shootings. 8-10 other golden retriever comfort dogs are on the way, per Mike Flaherty of Lutheran Church Charities. Jacob’s harness says “Please pet me.” pic.twitter.com/HGoJRKoPNi

It’s not just mass shootings where dogs can help people find a sense of peace and calm. These dogs are sometimes used in courtrooms when sexual assault victims are called to testify. The dogs can be there for them before and after to give strength and provide relief.

Studies have shown that a therapy dog can help to reduce pain, lower blood pressure, increase endorphins and have other positive effects on a person and their body. One study of therapy dog use in a large urban hospital showed how the mere presence of a dog could calm a terrified child after they’ve suffered a traumatic injury.

That positive effect after trauma is one of the reasons that Tonya Christiansen of Grand Haven, Michigan, spends her free time working with her certified therapy dog, Talco. “A therapy dog provides comfort and has been invited into a situation to do just that,” says Christiansen, who owns Must Love Dogs, a store focusing on pet nutrition. “Oftentimes, when everything seems so dark and hopeless and there is so much loss that I can’t even begin to imagine, like in Florida, the dogs help distract. They bring hope and give some sort of normalcy. Whenever there is chaos and everything you knew to be normal and right is not the same anymore, a dog can ground people, bring some normalcy and ease that chaos, even if it’s for a little bit.”

Even so, not every dog is prepared to go into a situation, such as after a school shooting. The dogs from the aforementioned LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs received extensive training. So do the dogs affiliated with National Crisis Response Canines. According to that organization’s website, “Crisis response canines receive advanced training to work in the complex physical environments of disasters and to safely interact with strangers experiencing intense emotions in the aftermath of crisis.”

Whereas “thoughts and prayers” may provide cold comfort and do no real good in the here and now after yet another mass shooting, petting a therapy dog or spending time with a comfort canine provides real relief and can have a positive, immediate effect on victims and their families.

When not covering pets or money-saving topics for Parade, you can find writer Leah Ingram hanging out with her two rescue pups Oscar and Sadie or working on her profitable online store called Puppieware™ by Pawsome Doggie. Puppieware™ sells dog-shaped cake pans and bakeware, dog theme birthday party supplies, and unique gifts and housewares for dog lovers. Use code PARADE to save 10 percent.

The middle-aged man apparently had ingested some chemical substance when he left his home in Lenexa wearing only his underwear and declared he intended to freeze to death in the elements.

The temperature was in the low 20s.

The man’s family called police, who organized a manhunt on Monday. The unit’s K9 officer, Ram, was on duty that day and he and his handler, Corp. Ryan Sumner, joined the search.

Ram picked up a strong scent, and the man was found face down in a creek in a steep ravine near 87th Street and Candelight Lane. The creek was frozen over but there was some running water near the man’s face. He had been exposed to the cold for about an hour.

“He was conscious, but it would have been real tricky if we had not found him then,” said police spokesman Danny Chavez.

Police helped the man to a waiting ambulance and he has since recovered, Chavez said, adding that police probably would not have checked that particular area if Ram had not signaled he detected something.

This is K9 Ram. K9 Ram is a good boy. He doesn’t just sniff out bad guys/drugs. Earlier this week K9 Ram led his handler, Corp. Sumner, to a person in distress in a frozen creek in the woods. Thanks to K9 Ram, officers were able to rescue the person to safety. Good boy. pic.twitter.com/dAEkQJ8HUG

When we hear of a disaster like Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., most of us wish we could do something to comfort the survivors. Fortunately, there are a few dozen volunteers with Lutheran Church Charities who know just what to do: Sit quietly and let those who are suffering pat their big, fluffy head.

Hours after news of the mass shooting broke, the LCC sprang into action to deploy its dogs to the scene. One lived just an hour away, and 16 others are currently making their way to Parkland, along with their 29 handlers, from 10 other states. At prayer vigils, hospitals, community gatherings, and eventually the school itself, the comfort dogs will be available to anyone who wants to pet them.

“When people pet a dog, they relax, and when they relax, they’re able to talk about what they went through,” Tim Hetzner, president and CEO of Lutheran Church Charities, told Yahoo Lifestyle. “A key part of the healing process is to be able to talk about what’s happened.”

The dogs only go where they’re invited, and they wait in an area to the side, in case some of those suffering are allergic or afraid of them, Hetzner said. These aren’t the amateur therapy pets that have been so derided in the news of late. The LCC trains the purebred goldens for 16 to 18 months (2,000 hours), beginning when they are just eight weeks old. Each dog is then placed with a Lutheran church or school to serve that community as needed. Then, when national disasters strike, they travel to those areas for a week at a time and work with the local counselors already there.

This is Jacob, he’s a “comfort dog” whose been to Las Vegas, Orlando and now Parkland to comfort victims of mass shootings. 8-10 other golden retriever comfort dogs are on the way, per Mike Flaherty of Lutheran Church Charities. Jacob’s harness says “Please pet me.” pic.twitter.com/HGoJRKoPNi

“They come up to you and get dog hair all over you, and then just nuzzle up to you and put a smile on your face,” Tracy Szymanski director of guest services of Sunrise Hospital in the Las Vegas area told Today of her experience with the dogs last October.

“They don’t bark, bite, jump up,” Hetzner said. “They’re trained to either sit or to lie down on the ground — it depends on the situation. A lot of times with students that are on the ground, the dog lies down on the ground, and they lie on top of the dog. They’re kind of comfort rugs with a heartbeat sometimes.”

Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, Baton Rouge, Sutherland Springs, Marshall County, Ky. — these dogs have been comfort rugs in many places reeling from a mass shooting in recent years. But the program began after a different type of disaster, Hurricane Katrina.

“We were asked by FEMA to do search and rescue with people and their pets, because at that time FEMA would not rescue pets,” Hetzner said. “Out of that we saw the value of an animal with somebody in a crisis situation, even to the point that they were willing to risk their life staying in a home that’s underwater rather than part with their pet.”

The LCC began its K-9 program in 2008, and it’s an extension of the mission to “share mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need.” Like the dogs themselves, the LCC’s humans are on the scene to calm and provide comfort.

“We’re not counselors, but we’re trained to shut up and listen,” Hetzner said. “Our dogs do that also.”

When we hear of a disaster like Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., most of us wish we could do something to comfort the survivors. Fortunately, there are a few dozen volunteers with Lutheran Church Charities who know just what to do: Sit quietly and let those who are suffering pat their big, fluffy head.

Hours after news of the mass shooting broke, the LCC sprang into action to deploy its dogs to the scene. One lived just an hour away, and 16 others are currently making their way to Parkland, along with their 29 handlers, from 10 other states. At prayer vigils, hospitals, community gatherings, and eventually the school itself, the comfort dogs will be available to anyone who wants to pet them.

“When people pet a dog, they relax, and when they relax, they’re able to talk about what they went through,” Tim Hetzner, president and CEO of Lutheran Church Charities, told Yahoo Lifestyle. “A key part of the healing process is to be able to talk about what’s happened.”

The dogs only go where they’re invited, and they wait in an area to the side, in case some of those suffering are allergic or afraid of them, Hetzner said. These aren’t the amateur therapy pets that have been so derided in the news of late. The LCC trains the purebred goldens for 16 to 18 months (2,000 hours), beginning when they are just eight weeks old. Each dog is then placed with a Lutheran church or school to serve that community as needed. Then, when national disasters strike, they travel to those areas for a week at a time and work with the local counselors already there.

This is Jacob, he’s a “comfort dog” whose been to Las Vegas, Orlando and now Parkland to comfort victims of mass shootings. 8-10 other golden retriever comfort dogs are on the way, per Mike Flaherty of Lutheran Church Charities. Jacob’s harness says “Please pet me.” pic.twitter.com/HGoJRKoPNi

“They come up to you and get dog hair all over you, and then just nuzzle up to you and put a smile on your face,” Tracy Szymanski director of guest services of Sunrise Hospital in the Las Vegas area told Today of her experience with the dogs last October.

“They don’t bark, bite, jump up,” Hetzner said. “They’re trained to either sit or to lie down on the ground — it depends on the situation. A lot of times with students that are on the ground, the dog lies down on the ground, and they lie on top of the dog. They’re kind of comfort rugs with a heartbeat sometimes.”

Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, Baton Rouge, Sutherland Springs, Marshall County, Ky. — these dogs have been comfort rugs in many places reeling from a mass shooting in recent years. But the program began after a different type of disaster, Hurricane Katrina.

“We were asked by FEMA to do search and rescue with people and their pets, because at that time FEMA would not rescue pets,” Hetzner said. “Out of that we saw the value of an animal with somebody in a crisis situation, even to the point that they were willing to risk their life staying in a home that’s underwater rather than part with their pet.”

The LCC began its K-9 program in 2008, and it’s an extension of the mission to “share mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need.” Like the dogs themselves, the LCC’s humans are on the scene to calm and provide comfort.

“We’re not counselors, but we’re trained to shut up and listen,” Hetzner said. “Our dogs do that also.”

]]>http://www.disasterdog.net/meet-the-comfort-dogs-deployed-to-parkland-fla-to-help-shooting-survivors-cope/feed/0Sheriff: Four-year-old found after wandering off from family’s home in Nathaliehttp://www.disasterdog.net/sheriff-four-year-old-found-after-wandering-off-from-familys-home-in-nathalie/
http://www.disasterdog.net/sheriff-four-year-old-found-after-wandering-off-from-familys-home-in-nathalie/#respondThu, 15 Feb 2018 10:55:00 +0000http://www.disasterdog.net/sheriff-four-year-old-found-after-wandering-off-from-familys-home-in-nathalie/ Link.]]>

HALIFAX Co., Va. (WSET) — The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office said a four-year-old is safe after going missing from a home on Stoney Ridge Road in the Nathalie community on Valentine’s Day.

The sheriff’s office said the 911 center got the call around 6:30 p.m. with family members saying the child had been missing for over an hour and may have wondered off with their dog.

Sheriff Fred Clark said deputies and K9 units responded to the scene with help from Virginia State Police, the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, search and rescue teams, local fire departments, and emergency services and rescue personnel.

Sheriff Clark said it took about four hours for the whole team to find the missing four-year-old.

He was found in a heavily wooded area, approximately three-quarters of a mile from the family’s home.

“Thank God this was an incident that ended in good news”, stated Sheriff Fred S. Clark. “I am so glad that the child was found safely. Time is a crucial factor in a search and we are so grateful the child was found safe before temperatures dropped more,” Clark stated. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to E-911 dispatchers, Virginia State Police and K9 units, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office and K9 units, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, South Boston Police Department, Halifax County Emergency Services, Liberty Fire Department, North Halifax Fire Department, Halifax Fire Department, Midway Fire Department, Triangle Fire Department, Bedford Fire Department and for their use of their drone in the search, Black Diamond Search and Rescue Council, Angel Search and Rescue Team, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Halifax County Department of Social Services, local emergency services personnel, and all other volunteers that responded to this scene for a job well done.”

]]>http://www.disasterdog.net/sheriff-four-year-old-found-after-wandering-off-from-familys-home-in-nathalie/feed/0When a rescue dog crashed a Haredi wedding and became the life of the partyhttp://www.disasterdog.net/when-a-rescue-dog-crashed-a-haredi-wedding-and-became-the-life-of-the-party/
http://www.disasterdog.net/when-a-rescue-dog-crashed-a-haredi-wedding-and-became-the-life-of-the-party/#respondThu, 15 Feb 2018 04:31:00 +0000http://www.disasterdog.net/when-a-rescue-dog-crashed-a-haredi-wedding-and-became-the-life-of-the-party/ Link.]]>

Meet Teddy, the rescue K-9 who broke the dog-barrier in the ultra-Orthodox community and brought happiness to a groom on his wedding day.

A wedding guest embraces an IDU rescue dog

In general, the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community considers dogs to be sacrilegious. To see an ultra-Orthodox Jew agree to even pet a dog (let alone own one) is extremely rare. But that all changed on the evening of Rosh Chodesh Adar (the beginning of the month of Adar) when a rescue dog named Teddy was uncharacteristically invited to a Haredi wedding.

The Belgian Shepherd was invited by Rabbi Benzion Oring, the deputy director of ZAKA in Jerusalem. He also happens to be the father of the groom. As an official in Israel’s most widely known network of volunteer first responders, it only made sense that Rabbi Oring developed an admiration for some of the most highly skilled rescuers in Israel-the dogs of the Israel Dog Unit.

The Israel Dog Unit (Yachal) is also a voluntary organization that trains dogs to protect vulnerable Jews throughout Israel from both harm and property theft. However, they also train tracking as well as search and rescue dogs who work closely with ZAKA to help the Israeli police locate and identify missing persons.

Since ZAKA works shoulder to shoulder with the IDU on missing person incidences, it is only natural that a relationship of mutual admiration would develop. After all, ZAKA are the ones who collect the body parts of the deceased as is commanded in Judaism. But the dogs of the Israel Dog Unit are the ones trained to track, detect and find those very body parts.

Haredim dance with Teddy at Rabbi Oring’s son’s wedding

Rabbi Benzion Oring, impressed with the Israeli Dog Unit’s work, made the bold decision to break the Haredi dog barrier and invited a highly trained Belgian Malinois Shepherd named Teddy to his son’s wedding. This controversial decision raised many eyebrows. But that all changed once the festivities got started.

That’s because once the party kicked off, Teddy instantly became the life of the party. Wedding guests fought each other for the privilege to dance with their new four-legged friend.

Moshe, Teddy’s handler and IDU volunteer added: “Teddy was pleased to make the bride and groom happy, and to eat some grilled schnitzel.”

Is this wedding a watershed moment in Haredi history? Will the ultra-Orthodox finally appreciate man’s best friend? Whatever the outcome, one thing’s for sure — making a bridegroom happy on his wedding day while scoring some schnitzel is a win-win for both the dog and the bridegroom.

—

To hear more unreported stories in Israel, follow me at @theIsraeliShow on Twitter

What should you do when you see a yacht floating with no of signs of life? Well that question was asked onboard the Volvo Ocean Race team Turn the Tide on Plastic as they beam reached in northeasterly trades toward New Zealand.

“We were sailing within sight of Brunel (to leeward) and to weather we saw another yacht close to our track,” explained skipper Dee Caffari, positioned 1400 nm to the east of the Philippines. “We looked through the binoculars as there was no sign on the AIS software and contacted race control.

“We called on the VHF with no response and race control confirmed there was no active SAR (search and rescue) in the area. Our onboard reporter sent up the drone for a closer inspection and to get some identification for the vessel.

“We collected some images and sent them back to race control and they confirmed the vessel was the abandoned vessel, Sea Nymph. Many may remember a big news story in the US last October, regarding the rescue of two women and a dog from the vessel on their way to Hawaii. Well this was that vessel all these months later.

“She was sitting pretty low in the bow and her mainsail was washed over the side but the rest of her looked like she would make a nice cruiser. We discussed salvage rights for a while and estimated that the race director would not give us redress if we towed her to Auckland while racing.

“So there she sits a hazard to shipping, a risk to islands, reefs and atolls and slowly not going anywhere. We are grateful we saw her during the day as this could have been a very different story had we come across her at night. She was floating stern to us with no lights or signal being given out, there is no way we would have seen her.

“I just hope now we have given authorities the position there is a chance for salvage or for scuttling her to prevent a far worse disaster in our oceans. We are asking you not to litter the oceans with plastic and here we have a whole yacht floating aimlessly in our oceans!”

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.